Illinois Football: Reggie Corbin has big game in week 3 of USFL

The Michigan Panthers tallied their first win of the 2022 campaign with the big help of a former Illinois football player.

Coming into the game on Sunday, the Panthers had been competing but couldn’t get over the hump. A 17-12 loss in week one to the Houston Gamblers was followed up with a 10-6 week two loss to the New Jersey Generals. Something had to give for this organization in week three, and it did in the form of former Illini running back, Reggie Corbin.

Michigan came out of the gates strong against the Pittsburgh Maulers in week three. The Panthers took a 16-0 first quarter lead and never looked back. They would end up winning the game 24-0 as Corbin led the offense with 20 carries for 133 yards and one touchdown.

Look for the Michigan Panthers to use the former Illinois football legend more often.

If you are an Illini fan, you aren’t surprised Corbin broke off for 133 yards this past weekend. His 6.6 yards per carry is something we are all familiar with. But the Panthers needed to figure out their running back depth, and I believe the backfield is starting to shake out.

The other two running backs in the Panthers’ backfield are Stevie Scott III and Cameron Scarlett. They have started all three games for Michigan this season and both players have played in each game. Despite that fact, Corbin, who has only played in two games this season with zero starts, leads the team in rushing.

Corbin has rushed for 154 yards on just 28 carries this season, which comes out to 5.5 yards per carry. Those are much better numbers than both Scott and Scarlett, who have averaged 4.0 and 4.1 yards per carry this season, respectively.

The backfield for the Panthers is starting to shake out. It was only a matter of time before cream started rising to the top. Corbin is a sensational running back who is getting his chance to shine. Something tells me this is the start of something special.